Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
currents? EEs should know why HF, and not VHF signals
propagate across oceans, why only local broadcast AM signals
are heard during the day, and the technical versus regulatory
considerations that dictate why UHF and not HF signals are
used for the wireless cellular phone system.
There is a great deal of interest and work being done to create
a more student friendly EM instructional experience. Selvan
[2] addresses student centered EM instruction; Mukhopadhyay
and Pinder [3] addresses the inherent difficulty of teaching
EM, and Crilly[1], Xie, Liang and Wang [4] present
laboratory based EM instruction methods. Rao [5], Iskander
[6], and Raida [7] addresses EM instruction using technology;
Zhou [8] uses the seminar approach to EM education.
This paper will present a project oriented approach to teaching
EM, antennas and radio frequency propagation that is
currently being done for the EE program at the United States
Coast Guard Academy (USCGA). The current course at the
USCGA covers, but hopefully uncovers basic EM theory,
antennas and propagation. The main points are as follows: (a)
Coverage starts with the operation of the half-wave dipole to
illustrate how an accelerating electron causes a radiated EM
field. This is reinforced by a demonstration to quickly dispel
the notion that ordinary circuit theory can adequately explain
the behavior of distributed parameter systems. (b) This is then
followed by transmission lines and then classical EM theory,
antennas and propagation. (c) The lecture material is
augmented by eight labs. (d) Increased emphasis on how EM
theory can be used to solve modern electrical engineering
problems such as multipath interference, EMC/EMI, and wave
travel through lossy media. (e) The design, construction and
testing of dipole and Yagi antennas, and (f) the design,
analysis and implementing of phased arrays. Much of the
traditional mathematical content and theory of the course is
retained but the focus is on the understanding of Maxwells
equations and how they can be used to solve practical
engineering problems. In other words, what can you do with
all this arcane physics and mathematical theory?
A strong aspect of our course includes real world situations
that include the following: (a) what are the challenges with
underwater communications, (b) why is a Yagi antenna
When a coaxial line is used, only lights connected to the center conductor
are illuminated.
such that during the day only local AM stations are heard
whereas at night, stations from across the continent are heard
via ionosphere refraction. Furthermore during the day if we
listen to signals in the 14 MHz range, well above frequencies
where the D-layer absorbs signals, overseas stations are
readily heard. Finally, to illustrate the maximum useable
frequency (MUF) we demonstrate how NIST (WWV)
broadcast signals are readily heard at 10 MHz, but not
necessarily at 20 MHz.
Parasitic elements - To demonstrate parasitic capacitances
and inductances in circuit elements we first take a coil of wire
and determine its resonant frequency. For example, a 36 turn
coil at 2 inches in diameter has a resonant frequency of
approximately 1.5 MHz. This shows that the parasitic wire
capacitance due to the spacing between turns enables the
supposedly pure inductor to actually be a parallel LC circuit.
A second demonstration is terminate a 50 ohm transmission
line with a 50 ohm resistor where at 1 MHz acts as a pure
resistive load (ie. an SWR 1:1 ), but as the frequency is
increased, say to 50 MHz, the non-zero length of the resistor
starts to act like a series RL circuit resulting in a SWR
significantly greater than 1:1.
Phased arrays We first derive the mathematical expression
for the sinc(x) far field radiation pattern for an 8 element
phased array system. The end result of the derivation is a large
peak or main lobe at the horizontal center of the array (i.e. an
arrival angle of 90 degrees or x = 0 ) and smaller peaks and
nulls at each side of the center (i.e. other arrival angles and
thus positive and negative values of x). The demonstration
apparatus consists of an array of 8 speakers spaced n/4 apart
and driven by an audio signal. When all the speakers are
driven simultaneously, the audience readily observes the main
lobe at x = 0 but even more profound is they observe the nulls
(i.e. no sound) as they move back and forth along the
horizontal distance in front of the speaker array.
259 SWR analyzer and/or the 9912A, the student can readily
see how the absence or oversupply of radials affects the SWR.
Figure 3 shows one way to measure the radiation pattern.
Note, in order for measurements to match simulated results,
they should be done on an open field.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank Mr. Zach Crane for his work
on developing experiments for signal interference and cross
talk between conductors, Dr. Richard Hartnett on his ideas
concerning using speakers to emulate a phased array antenna
system and Dr. Melissa Meyer for her ideas on making EM
theory more enjoyable to undergraduates.
References
[1] P.B. Crilly, A novel approach to teaching an undergraduate
electromagnetics, antennas and propagation course, presented at the
2013 ASEE NE Section Meeting, Norwich University, March 2013.
[2] K.T. Selvan, What is student centered electromagnetic instruction?
[Online]. Available: www.ieeeaps.org/pdfs/Studentcentered%20EM%20instruction.pdf
[3] S.C. Mukhopadhyay and D.N. Pinder, Teaching engineering
electromagnetics to information and communication engineering students
at Massey University, [Online] Available:
http://itee.uq.edu.au/~aupec/aupec03/papers/012%20Mukhopadhyayfull%
20paper.pdf
[4] H. Xie, Y. Liang, and Q. Wang, A laboratory measurement method of
radiation pattern, New York: Springer-Verlag, 2012.
[5] N.N. Rao, PC-Assisted Instruction of Introductory Electromagnetics,
IEEE Tran. Educ., vol. 33, pp. 51-59, Feb. 1990.
[6] M.F. Iskander, Technology-Based Electromagnetic Education, IEEE
Tran. Microwave Theory and Techniques, vol. 50, pp. 1020, March 2002.
[7] Z. Raida, Internet Support of Education in Antenna and Microwave
Techniques, [Online]. Available:
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/abstractKeywords.jsp?arnumber=4569883.
[8] Z. Zhou, Seminar-Based Electromagnetics Education,
http://www.ieeeaps.org/pdfs/Student-centered%20EM%20instruction.pdf
[9] Ulaby, F. , Michielssen, E., and Ravaioli, U., Fundamentals of Applied
Electromagnetics , 6th Ed., Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2010.
[10] Fleisch, D. A Students Guide to Maxwells Equations, Cambridge,
2008.
[11] Krauss, J., Antennas, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1988.
[12] Silver, H., The ARRL Antenna Book, Newington, CT: American
Radio Relay League, Newington, CT, 2011.
[13] Jordan, E, and Balmain, K., Electromagnetic Waves and Radiating
Systems, 2nd ed. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1968.
[14] Nichols, E. Gimme an X, Gimme an O, Whats That Spell? Radio,
QST, Dec. 2010.